Pitt Football Burned by Officiating Crew Once Again

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Sports Now
By Karl Ludwig | Last updated Nov 30, 2024 6:23 PM ET

Pitt has been on the wrong end of some poor officiating this season, and while it isn’t the reason the Panthers have lost four in a row, it does contribute to some of the swings that have occurred this season.

A Rasheem Biles strip-sack in the second quarter, recovered by Boston College quarterback Grayson James, appeared to have Pitt set up for good field position.

A Liam Connor punt from the BC 4 was mishit, traveled just 30 yards and appeared to hit a Boston College gunner on the bounce. The officiating crew decided it hit Ryland Gandy and gave possession back to the Eagles.

The video replay pretty clearly showed the ball didn’t hit Gandy before it hit the BC defender, but the review resulted in the play being upheld.

“We were unable to tell if the ball hit Boston College” ~ACC Command Center pic.twitter.com/l9NXkN0Vvc

— Ish Leggett Szn (@neverlosebets) November 30, 2024

So, instead of receiving the football in field goal range, the Panthers had to defend the ensuing Eagles possession. James led a short drive that resulted in a punt, so while the officiating miscue didn’t result in any points for Boston College, it potentially took a field goal — or more — off the board for the Panthers.

Boston College punted the ball away on its gifted possession, pinning the Panthers inside their 15 — a 50-plus-yard swing.

Pitt, without Eli Holstein and Desmond offensively, trails 13-0 late in the second quarter, and it’s been a sloppy game — offensively and defensively — for the Panthers. There’s just over a half left in the regular season, and the Panthers will need a spark to hit the eight-win plateau.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Sports Now and was syndicated with permission.

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